My sweet son

I think my son is just absolutely adorable.
I know, I know...I'm his mama. I should think he's adorable.
But, honestly, there are times when his cuteness just makes my heart want to burst.
Asa really is a lot like his daddy.

He is the more reserved, quiet, shy of my three kids. He's not really that shy. But, he definitely takes time to warm up and let loose. And, overall, he is not as loud as my girls.
And, he looks like his daddy! Again, being honest here, I don't see it as much. But, everyone else says it, so it must be so.

There are many things I love about my son. But, among my favorite things are these:
--he lines things up. constantly. toy animals, cars, rocks, sticks, shoes, food, pencils, beads, you name it! i walked in the living room to find a line of cars, animals and his potato baby Moses from preschool (riding in the dump truck, of course!)
--he is a good eater. i hardly ever have to fight with Asa to eat stuff. sometimes he's slow, but that's usually b/c his two sisters are nearby. he likes meat, eats vegetables, and enjoys fruit. and, if he doesn't like something, he will usually stick it out for the bite (with lots of our encouragement and insistence, of course). last week we had some butternut squash in a dish and he did NOT like it. he was heeeelarious to watch as he ate the bite. made the funniest faces.
--something he does that really drives me crazy but is just HIM...random piles or collections or stashes. he will take 20 different things from his room, tiny things like one little army guy and one block and one toy animal, and put it in something. sometimes it's a bag, sometimes it's a box, sometimes its a sock. and, then we find it somewhere in the house. i'm laughing right now. you go to move a cushion on the couch and find a girls purse with Asa's goodies inside. inevitably you will hear "Asa! Come get this mess! Put it all back where it belongs!" it drives both Joel and I nuts. but, I'm gonna miss it in years to come...I just know it!
--ace also likes to climb trees, make everything into a gun, play with rubber bands, work with his daddy in the garage or the yard, draw, play flashlight tag (hide 'n seek), look for bugs in our backyard, help prepare meals, and have playdates with other boys (instead of just his sisters).
--i love to hear Asa sing. My girls are so over-the-top and, well, like me in their drama. they sing and dance and are loud. Rylee sings constantly. she sings what we're doing, where we're going, regular songs, lines from books, etc. So, i'm used to the singing. but, today, I clicked on a video someone had on their facebook page and watched 3 teens sing great harmony. asa and jenna were standing beside me. asa didn't know the words but began singing. they repeated "Jesus Messiah" several times and he was catching on. most amazing part to me...he was sounding pretty good for a 3 year old boy! but, it was his little face looking captivated and engrossed in singing that made the tears fall.
Asa's just coming into his time of more intense training. The girls have both gone through "phases" of difficulty. Rylee was intense about 2 years ago and then we struggled with Jenna back in the spring and early summer. But, Asa is now showing us a little more of his "self" and "will". He can be intense. But, that boy has a tender heart. And today I got to see a wonderful display of how beautiful it can be when He's focused on Jesus.